If your car’s Check Engine Light is lit up, it means something is wrong and requires a fix. Whether it is an immediate danger or a slight glitch, they all get communicated to you the same way through the Check Engine Light. Some cars will show a distinction between the severity of the problem with the difference in how the light displays. Greater or more immediate threats will blink whereas a solid Check Engine Light may be for less immediate threats. This can clue you into what kinds of issues you may have, but the real way to find out is to have your code read by a diagnostic scanner which most mechanics should have. Here are some potential causes for the light to turn on so you can have an idea of what you can do.
The easiest to fix an issue that can trigger your Check Engine Light is if you don’t seal your fuel tank properly. It can not only result in your fuel evaporating but also in uneven oxygen levels which reduce your fuel efficiency. If you just left a gas station and your light is on, it’s a good idea to refasten the gas cap to see if that will make the light turn off.
Just because the warning says to check the engine doesn’t mean that your issue lies directly with the engine. It is true that most of your car interacts with the engine even if it isn’t inside the engine. Electrical components, especially the battery, can affect your engine and so their failure can cause other issues for the engine. You may be able to hear when your car starts whether it struggles or if the ignition is clean. If it struggles you should get this taken care of immediately because your car may be able to start this time, but may not in the future.
To properly manage your fuel and combine the right mixture of air, the engine needs to know how much of each is present. The oxygen and airflow sensors help the engine to measure this, allowing a balanced mixture and no wasted fuel. This isn’t something you can yourself see or hear going wrong. You will know by the check engine light and the diagnostic code. While this may not seem like an issue now, you’ll lose a lot of fuel efficiency and it can cause your engine to overwork. So even if your issue doesn’t seem apparently dangerous, you will want to get it checked out as soon as possible.
If your Check Engine Light is on, come to Eagle Transmission in Cedar Park, Texas. There are a host of other issues that may cause it to light up and we can diagnose and repair any of these problems. Call us at 512-402-3187 to schedule a service.
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